Zimbabwe Vice-President Launches New Health Project

Zimbabwe Vice-President Joice Mujuru shakes hands with radio personality Mudhara Zobha during the launch of the national prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV in Chikomba district on November 13, 2013., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

VP Mujuru launches Option B+

November 14, 2013 Top Stories
Paidamoyo Chipunza Health Reporter
Zimbabwe Herald

ALL pregnant women who test HIV positive will immediately be placed on anti-retroviral treatment despite their CD4 count, Vice President Joice Mujuru has said. Officially launching the new HIV intervention code-named Option B+ and the elimination of mother to child transmission week at Madziire Secondary School in Chikomba yesterday, VP Mujuru said HIV-positive women would now be taking a three-in-one pill everyday instead of the previous plan where they took three different ARVs at a time.

She said Government is fully committed to end HIV and Aids and supports such programmes as Option B+ which addresses the root cause of new born HIV infections.

“Our being here today marks another significant milestone in our endeavour to have an HIV free generation by 2015,” she said.

“Furthermore, it demonstrates Government’s commitment to the attainment of Millennium Development Goals 4, 5 and 6 that seeks to reduce child mortality, improve maternal health and combat HIV and Aids, malaria and other diseases respectively by 2015.”

She said Option B+ was necessitated by the fact that huge numbers of new infections in children and HIV-related deaths continue to be recorded in the country.

An estimated 10 000 new infections were recorded each year with 90 percent of these being through mother to child transmission.
Furthermore, 21 percent of under five deaths were also HIV associated.

She said this situation can be prevented through the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV.

“This week-long programme provides a platform to promote utilisation of services for the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV,” she said.

VP Mujuru also said the new three-in-one pill was simpler and easier to take than the previous ones.

“From today onwards, HIV positive pregnant women will be offered a single tablet that contains three anti-retrovirals, the three in one pill, which will be taken once per day for life. It protects the health of the HIV positive woman and also prevents transmission of the virus to the baby,” she said.

She said this intervention would protect mothers in future pregnancies as well as the male partner in the event that they may be HIV negative.

Research has shown that continuous uptake of ARVs lowers the virus to undetectable levels reducing chances of HIV transmission to other people.

VP Mujuru urged men to support interventions such as Option B+ and male circumcision among other health programmes.

She, however, expressed concern over some HIV interventions targeting sex workers seeming to promote sex work.

VP Mujuru said there were better ways of helping these women to shun prostitution such as empowerment programmes.

“Are we saying we have given up promoting our own culture norms and values dzekuzvibata, hunhu/ubuntu? Are we saying this is all our development partners can do, to ‘prevent’ and not to also promote hunhu/ubuntu. As your leaders in Zanu-PF, izvi taramba and we will always say NO!” she said.

Acting secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Gibson Mhlanga said the launch of the Option B+ and the elimination of mother to child transmission week was part of pre-launch activities lined up for the World Aids Day festivities scheduled for December 1. Dr Mhlanga said this year’s commemoration would be held in Chikomba district, Mashonaland East province.

“All these activities are meant to sustain momentum to eliminate new HIV infections in children,” he said.

Officials from the National Aids Council and other development partners took turns to express their commitment and support for Option B+.

Health and Child Care Minister David Parirenyatwa, Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha and Minister of State for provincial Affairs in Mashonaland East Cde Simbaneuta Mudarikwa and several other Government officials attended the launch.